A gluten free, simple fig chutney

Sometimes the easiest recipes yield the best results. The other day I found fresh figs in our market. It seemed kind of strange to me that I found them as i had seen figs in the late summer and October… but heck – who was I to argue! It was fig time – and it was perfect timing. Nothing beats the versatility of a great fig chutney in the kitchen.

We use this simple chutney with cheese/crackers, on meats, etc – even adding a few tablespoons to a marinade that we brushed on before making some pork chop the other night. OH – delicious! And simple!

The recipe is also super easy to adapt. You can add ginger or carmelized onions, or cloves, etc to change up the flavors of your fig chutnet. We used just the figs this time around as we have been altering the flavor of the chutney POST creation. We’ve added couple tablespoons with a squirt of dijon mustard and mixed it together to make a sandwich spread…….. we’ve added this basic chutney plus some sherry to make a great au jus for some pork chops (and it’s delicious with chicken too… I might add), etc. The possibilites are limited only by your mind, that’s for sure.

The Chicklet has been delighting in “dipping” her foods (mostly her fingers…LOL) in to everything she eats these days, so we’ve been obliging her developing taste buds with a wide variety of goodies to dip in to. Most kids I know go straight for the sweet stuff… but not my little imp. She definitely prefers the savory. So she’s enjoyed this mixed with dijon mustard more frequently than just eating it plain. I think it’s too sweet for her.

That sweetness comes mainly from the figs themselves. The recipe calls for little sugar, in comparison to how many figs (2 pounds) I used. I tasted the figs prior to cooking, so I knew they were already sweet enough. Be sure to taste your figs too, before cooking. That way you can adjust your sweetness level to your preference.

Next up on the order of business for the Chicklet and I: Making some Christmas Cookies together. I think we will start with these roll out cookies and move on to a recipe that a student of mine just gave me for Molassess Crinkles. (I can’t wait to try them… they sound fabulous!).

My in-laws are coming in town next week too. It will be the first time they have been able to come to see the Chicklet. I can’t wait for them to meet her! I so know they will fall in love with her as we have as well. She’s quite the little dreamboat, I tell ya.

What are you plans before the Holidays?
Are there any recipes you are seeking?
Please leave a comment and let me know!
I’m ready to get back to creating and exploring in the ktichen. And now the Chicklet is DYING to mix, stir, scrunch, smoosh, and help out in any way she can. The sound of the mixer is like music to her ears – she comes running and wants to cook along with me.

I LOVE THAT!

Anyway.. enough of my prattling along…. here’s the basic recipe for Fig Chutney that we use. Adapt it and use it as you will. (It’s great with ginger!)

Reduce to a simmer and allow to simmer on low – partially covered – for an hour. The figs will reduce to become deep and smooth. The consistency will be thick, but not dense nor dry. (It will thicken up as it cools.)

Can according to your canning instructions – or store in jars in the refrigerator.

(We’ve always canned these and given the extras away as gifts to neighbors and friends…. so i can’t tell you how long an “uncanned” jar of chutney will last in the fridge. Maybe 3 weeks or so?)

The idea of ‘chutney cocktails’ is something I hadn’t thought of before, but why not? After all, we’d mix up different salad sauces without thinking about it at all. I especially like the idea of adding sherry for a sauce… fig and sherry: fab.

I just wanted to post a comment and LYK that I look forward to reading your recipes and learning some factoids about gluten free cooking. I have an autistic son and have just decided (after over a year of “mulling it over”) that I can’t live with the “what if” of not doing this for him.
I have followed your blog for almost as long as I have had my own and am encouraged by your “normal” food… you have no idea how many “are you nuts?” I have heard and every time I read your blog I think, “I can eat that!” and that only means that I can lead by example, which in my eyes is the only way.
Thank you for sharing your knowledge, I for one truly do appreciate it. Brenda=)

You’ve MADE my day! Somedays I think my personal/family online recipe archive and stories are just a fun outlet. I’m so happy to know that they are of help and use to others! Thank you for letting me know – Kate

Kate, I LOVE this recipe. I’m gonna make it for my friend who literally has everything, and I can never think of what to give her for Christmas. She’s obsessed with the fancy fig jam you can get at the cheese shop for a bajillion dollars, so I’ve got to make this for her as her gift this year! Thank you!!!